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JECT TO  AN  OVERDUE  FINE  AS 
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MSTTTggi 

lOCT  2  8  1997 
MAR  2^98 


OOM/5-79 


I'Ji(it()(/nU)}i    hij    I'liinain    d-    Valvntitu, 


^t^-Z^-^  X^yC^L/L^ 


THE  BIG  TREES 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


THEIR  HISTORY  AND 
CHARACTERISTICS 


By  GALEN  CLARK 

Discoverer  of  the  Mariposa  Grove  of  Big  Trees,  Author  of  "Indians 

of  the  Yosemite,"  and  for  many  years  Guardian 

of  the  Yosemite  Valley 


Illustrated  from  Photographs 


YOSEMITE  VALLEY.   CALIFORNIA 

GALEN  CLARK 

1907 


Copyright.  1907 
By  Galen  Clark 


Vrtsa  of 

^Reflex  Publishing  Co. 

Redondo,  Ca!. 


CONTENTS 


Page. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  BIG  TREES 19 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  BIG  TREES 25 

THE  MARIPOSA  GROVE 31 

GENERAL     GRANT     AND     SEQUOIA     NATIONAL 

PARKS 37 

SIZE  OF  THE  BIG  TREES 43 

AGE  OF  THE  SEQUOIAS 49 

HABITS  AND  CHARACTERISTICS '>! 

CONES   AND    SEEDS 67 

YOUNG  SEQUOIAS 77 

CELEBRATED  SPECIMENS SI 

A    SOLITARY    SURVIVOR 9' 

OTHER    CELEBRATED    TREES 99 

BOTANICAL  NOMENCLATURE 10:3 


Photof/rapJi   hy  Siceeney. 

GENERAL  GRANT  TREE,  GENERAL  GRANT 

NATIONAL  PARK. 

Claimed  to  be  the  largest  tree  in  the  world. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page. 

GALEN  CLARK Frontispiece 

GENERAL  GRANT  TREE 9 

GRIZZLY  GIANT 15 

DANCING  PAVILION,  CALAVERAS  GROVE 21 

ILLINOIS  TREE,  TUOLUMNE  GROVE 27 

GUARDIAN'S  CABIN,  MARIPOSA  GROVE 33 

GENERAL  GRANT  TREE 39 

IN  THE  MERCED  GROVE 45 

GENERAL    SHERMAN    TREE 51 

MOTHER  OF  THE  FOREST 55 

EMPIRE  STATE  TREE,  CALAVERAS  GROVE 59 

FOUR    GUARDSMEN 65 

CONES  AND  FOLIAGE 69 

FALLEN    MONARCH 73 

YOUNG   SEQUOIA 79 

WAWONA  TREE 83 

GRIZZLY  GIANT 87 

WAWONA  HOTEL  AND  COTTAGES 93 

BOOLE  TREE,  KING'S  RIVER  GROVE 97 

DEAD  GIANT,   TUOLUMNE  GROVE 101 


PROLOGUE 


"I  have  been  to  the  woods,  I  have  trod  the  green  dell, 
And  the  spirit  of  beauty  was  there; 

I  saw  her  white  form  in  the  snowdrop's  white  bell, 
I  heard  her  soft  voice  in  the  air. 

She  danced  in  the  aspen,  she  sighed  in  the  gale, 
She  wept  in  the  shower,  she  blushed  in  the  vale; 

Her  mantle  was  thrown  o'er  the  misty  brake; 
Her  splendor  shown  in  the  sparkling  lake. 

I  felt  her  breath  in  the  breezes  of  even, 

Her  robe  floated  over  the  blue  vault  of  heaven. 

Wherever  I  roved  over  vale,  wood  or  hill. 
The  spirit  of  beauty  would  follow  me  still. 

Not  a  wildbriar  rose  its  fragrance  breathed. 
Not  an  elm  its  clustering  foliage  wreathed. 

Not  a  viotet  opened  its  eyes  of  blue. 
Not  a  plant  or  flower  in  the  valley  grew. 

Not  an  ivy  caressing  the  rock  in  the  wall, 
But  the  spirit  of  beauty  was  over  them  all." 


And  I've  been  to  the  groves  of  Sequoia  Big  Trees, 
Where  beauty  and  grandeur  combine, 

Grand  Temples  of  Nature  for  worship  and  ease, 
Enchanting,  inspiring,  sublime  I 


'■■'t'M 


»»>■;* 


^fm  ^ 


15 


Photograph    hit    Rdchel. 

GRIZZLY  GIANT,  MARIPOSA  GROVE. 

Height,   224   feet;   circumference   of  limb   100   feet   from 

ground,   20 14    feet. 


^- 


The  BIG  TREES 
of  CALIFORNIA 


'T'HE  Big  Trees  of  California 
''•  ( SequoiaWashingtoniana) 
are  located  on  the  western 
slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  near  a  central  line 
between  the  summit  peaks  and 
the  foot  hills  of  the  range,  at 
an  average  elevation  above  sea 
level  of  about  6,500  feet,  and 
distributed  north  and  south 
for  a  distance  of  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

They  are  found  in  groups  or 
groves  closely  associated  with 

—17— 


il 


'-;& 


U 


other  forest  trees,  mostly  pines 
and  firs,  with  intervening 
spaces  of  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent between  groves.  Very 
rarely  is  a  solitary  tree  found 
far  away  from  its  kindred 
groups. 

Possibly  these  trees  existed 
at  one  time  in  a  great  contin- 
uous forest,  which  has  been 
divided  into  the  present  sepa- 
rate groves  by  the  great 
glaciers  which  eroded  the  deep 
canyons  on  the  western  face 
of  the  mountain  range,  such  as 
the  Tuolumne  Canyon,  the 
Yo Semite  Valley,  Kings  River 
Canvon  and  others. 


4 


^ 


Origin  of  the  Big  Trees. 


HTHE  present  Big  Sequoias, 
-■■  now  only  found  in  a  few 
limited  groves  in  California, 
are  regarded  by  scientists  as 
the  scanty  and  sole  survivors, 
with  but  slight  variation,  of  an 
ancient  order  of  forest  trees 
which  flourished  extensively 
during  the  cretaceous  and  ter- 
tiary periods  of  the  earth's 
life,  contemporaneous  with 
such  huge  animals  as  the 
dinotherium,  megatherium, 
mammoth,  and  monster  rep- 
tiles long  since  extinct. 
In  that  remote  period  prob- 

—19— 


V 

1^         ably    the    climatic    conditions 

^      were  more  favorable  for  exten- 

nL;,  sive  distribution  of  these  trees 

^-r         than    at    present.     Fossil    re- 

^"         mains  of  this  species  are  said 

to    have    been    found    in    the 

northern  hemisphere  on  three 

continents,  Europe,  Asia  and 

,  America.     There  now  seems  to  , 

i  i 

^.":    be  no  good  reason  why  these        ^ 

Big  Trees  in  California  should 

become  extinct  for  many  cen- 

.-3      turies  yet  to  come,  if  properly 

.^r;*"]     guarded    and   protected   from 

'S':*'^      the  ruthless  axes  and  saws  of 

lumbermen. 

Californians  as  a  mass  have 

not  yet  fully  realized  the  great 

value  to  the  State  of  this  mag- 

—20— 


r' 


nificent  endowment  of  Nature, 
one  of  her  most  precious  crown 
jewels,  which  aids  in  attracting 
thousands  of  visitors  and  mil- 
lions of  dollars  annuallv. 


W... 


A 


% 


Distribution  of  the  Big  Trees. 


t 


T 


HE  most  northerly  group 
of  Big  Trees  consists  of  a    ^i^g" 


few  trees  in  Placer  County,  on 
a  tributary  of  the  American 
Eiver,    none    of   which   is    of 
i.  large  dimensions. 

The  next  grove  south  is  the 
Mammoth  or  Calaveras  Grove, 
in  Calaveras  County.  This 
grove  was  the  first  to  be  dis- 
covered and  made  known  to 
the  public.  It  contains  about 
one  hundred  trees,  some  of 
which  are  of  very  large  dimen- 
sions.    The    grove   known    as 

—25— 


the  South  Calaveras  Grove  is 
about  eight  miles  distant,  in 
Stanislaus  County,  containing 
about  one  thousand  trees. 
These  two  groves  are  now 
owned  by  a  lumber  company. 
In  Tuolumne  County,  on  a 
small  tributary  of  the  South 
,;  Fork  of  the  Tuolumne  River, 

1^.  there  is  a  small  grove  known 

as  the  Tuolumne  Grove,  in 
which  are  some  very  large  fine 
trees.  The  Big  Oak  Flat  & 
Yo Semite  stage  road  passes 
^' : ^  through  this  grove. 
/■/  A  few  miles  southwest  of  the 

Tuolumne  Grove,  on  Moss  Can- 
yon Creek,  in  Mariposa  Coun- 
ty,   there    is    a    small    grove 

—26— 


ritotofjujijh    hy   Fiske. 

ILLINOIS  TREE,  TUOLUMNE  GROVE. 
Diameter,  28  feet. 


w^ 


known  as  the  Merced  Grove, 
which  also  has  some  fine  speci- 
mens. The  Coulterville  &  Yo- 
semite  stage  road  passes 
through  this  grove.  i. 


L 


?^ 


The  Mariposa  Gkove. 


T^HE  next  grove  south  is  the 
*  Mariposa  Grove,  in  Mari- 
posa County,  located  between 
three  and  four  miles  southeast 
of  Wawona.  The  grove  is  situ- 
ated in  a  depression  on  a  moun- 
tain ridge  on  the  head  waters 
of  a  branch  of  Big  Creek, 
which  empties  into  the  south 
fork  of  the  Merced  River,  near 
Wawona.  Wawona  is  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Yosemite  Stage 
&  Turnpike  Company,  on  the 
stage  routes  from  Raymond 
and  Mariposa  to  Yosemite  Val- 
ley. 

—31— 


^^t^ 


^ 


The  Mariposa  Grove  is  easy 
of  access  by  carriage  road,  and 
5?'  contains  six  hundred  trees, 
some  of  them  being  among  the 
largest  in  the  State.  In  the 
main  portion  of  the  grove  the 
road  makes  a  wide  loop,  so  that 
many  of  the  largest  trees  may 
be  seen  from  the  carriage.  This 
grove,  including  four  square 
miles  of  territory,  was  ceded  to 
the  State  of  California  in  trust 
as  a  public  park  in  June,  1864, 
by  the  same  Act  of  Congress 
that  ceded  the  Yosemite  Valley 
to  the  State  under  similar  con- 
ditions. This  grove  of  Big 
i  Trees  has  since  been  under  the 

¥        protection  and  management  of 

—32— 


the  Yosemite  Commissioners, 
and  is  the  only  grove  of  Big 
Trees  in  the  State  which  is  en- 
tirely free  from  private  claims. 
Together  with  the  Yosemite 
Valley  it  has  recently  been  re- 
ceded by  the  State  of  Califor- 
nia to  the  National  Govern- 
ment. 

About  ten  miles  nearly  south- 
east of  the  Mariposa  Grove,  in 
Madera  County,  there  is  an- 
other grove  of  Big  Trees,  on  a 
small  north  branch  of  the 
Fresno  River.  This  grove  was 
named  the  Fresno  Grove,  as  it 
was  then  in  Fresno  County, 
and  when  first  discovered  in 
1857  contained  about  six  hun- 

—35— 


dred  trees,  one  of  the  largest 
measuring  eighty- three  feet  in 
circumference  four  feet  above 
the  ground.  A  large  number 
of  these  trees  have  now  been 
cut  down  and  sawed  into  lum- 
ber. 

Still  further  south  is  a  small 
grove  in  Fresno  County  on 
Dinky  Creek,  a  tributary  of 
Kings  River  from  the  north. 


Genekal  Grant  and  Sequoia 
National  Parks. 


O  OUTH  of  the  south  fork  of 
*^  Kings    Eiver,    in    Fresno     ' 
County,   there   commences   an 
extensive  belt  or  forest  of  Se-    ^4, 
quoias,  three  or  four  miles  in  ' 

width,  and  extending  south 
across  Tulare  County  nearly 
to  the  north  boundary  of  Kern 
County  for  a  distance  of  over 
sixty  miles,  with  but  small 
breaks  caused  by  deep  canyons. 
This  extensive  area  has  been 
divided  by  some  writers  into 
different  local  groves.  That 
portion  in  Fresno  County  is 
—37—    —   . 


I 


v^ 


known  as  the  Kings  River 
Grove,  and  also  the  Fresno 
Grove.  Proceeding  south,  we 
find  the  Kaweah  Grove,  and 
Tule  River  Groves  (North 
Fork  and  South  Fork)  in  the 
basins  of  Kaweah  and  Tule 
Eivers  respectively. 

Two  public  parks  have  been 
established  by  the  Federal 
Government  in  this  extensive 
-Sequoia  forest, — the  General 
Grant  National  Park,  four 
square  miles  in  extent,  in  the 
Kings  River  Grove,  and  the 
Sequoia  National  Park,  con- 
taining two  hundred  and  fifty 
square  miles,  in  the  Kaweah 
River  Grove.    These  Parks,  to- 

—38— 


.,.^,^agfeL 


'iXf' 


gether  with  the  Yosemite  Na- 
tional Park,  are  guarded  every 
sumraer  season  by  detachments 
of  United  States  cavalry.  :#. 

In  every  grove  of  Big  Se- 
quoias in  the  State,  except  the 
small  group  in  Placer  County, 
there  are  to  be  found  some  fine 
large     specimens     of     these  | 

grandest  of  forest  trees.  Per-  ^ 
sons  who  are  able  to  visit  only 
one  of  the  smaller  groves  can 
get  a  good  idea  of  the  general 
appearance  and  character  of 
this  species  of  trees;  but  the 
larger  groves  are  much  more 
interesting  and  impressive  in 
their   awe-inspiring  grandeur. 


•  1 

-41—  ]i 


,^ 


Size  of  the  Big  Trees. 


T 


HE  average  height  of  the 
large    sized    Sequoias    is 
about   two  hundred  and   sev- 
enty-five   feet,    though    some      cV 
few  have  been  found  to  exceed 
three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  in  height.       Their  aver- 
age diameter  at  the  ground  is        , 
about  twenty  feet,  though  in       / 
nearly  every  grove  there  are 
some  which  exceed  thirty  feet 
in  diameter.    The  difference  of 
a   few   feet,   however,   in   the       \ 
\fi^  diameter  of  the  largest  trees, 
is  not  perceptible  to  the  eye, 
and  only  by  actual  measure- 

-43-  J 


ment  can  such  variations  be 
ascertained. 

The  first  impression,  when 
viewing  the  largest  of  these 
trees,  may  be  one  of  dis- 
appointment. The  body  of  the 
tree  being  round,  and  very 
symmetrical  in  form  and 
height,  its  size  is  somewhat 
deceptive.  But  when  some 
familiar  object,  such  as  a  per- 
son or  a  horse,  is  placed  along- 
side the  tree,  the  illusion  is 
Q       quickly  dispelled. 

Another  cause  of  this  occa- 
sional sense  of  disappointment 
is  caused  by  the  fact  that  most 
of  the  measurements  published 
are  taken  at  the  base  of  the 

—44— 


"H 

^v,.^ 


riiotdf/raifli     hi/   Hallctt-Taiflor   Co. 

IN  THE  MERCED  GROVE. 


^ 


tree  near  the  ground,  which  is 
larger  than  the  body  of  the 
tree  a  few  feet  above.  Persons 
taking  measurements  for  pub- 
lication should  state  whether 
taken  near  the  ground  or  how 
many  feet  up. 


\H 


^•^r   ^f0^ 


1^- 

n 


C'A  Age  of  the  Sequolvs. 


^?v 


T 


HE   extreme   age   attained     \     ; 
by  some  of  the  Big  Trees      ^ 
will  ever  be  an  unsettled  ques- 
tion.    In    examining    the    re-        '4 
mains  of  fallen  trees,  the  an-         J 
nual  ring  growth  varies  very         ^^ 
much  in   different   specimens, 
some  of  them  averaging  many 
more  rings  to  the  inch  than 
others,  according  to  variations 
in    local    conditions,    whether 
favorable  to  a  vigorous  growth 
or  not.     The  number  of  rings 
•^_        near  the  heart  of  the  largest 
^''        old  fallen  trees  examined,  aver- 


age  about  ten  to  the  inch.  Near 
the  outside  surface  they  aver- 
age fifty  or  more  to  the  inch. 

In  the  pickets  of  the  fence 
which  now  surrounds  the  Gen- 
eral Sherman  tree  in  the  Se- 
quoia National  Park,  made 
from  an  old  fallen  tree  in  the 
near  vicinity,  those  examined 
by  myself  and  others  present 
had  fifty  rings  to  the  inch. 
This  would  make  an  increase 
of  two  inches  in  the  diameter 
of  the  wood  part  of  the  tree  in 
fifty  years.  The  outside  sap 
wood  of  the  tree  undoubtedly 
had  over  sixty  rings  to  the 
inch.  Apparently  some  of  the 
largest  old  fallen  trees,  like  the 

—50— 


i.»/ 


^'''■'    Forest  Giant  in  the  Mariposa 
Grove,  may  have  attained  the 
age  of  over  six  thousand  years 
before  they  were  uprooted. 
:.r         Many  of  the  largest  old  trees 
I     in   all   the   groves   have   been 
badly  injured  by  fire.     This  is 
-  ;,     more  evident  in  the  northern 
groves  than  in  those  south  of 
^  Kings  River.     In  the  Sequoia 
National  Park  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  any  extensive  fires 
have  spread  through  the  forest 
^,      for  the  past  one  hundred  or 
* ./     more  years.     There  is  such  a 
^^      dense  growth  of  green  vegeta- 
tion covering  the  ground  where 
most    of    the    Sequoias    grow, 
that  fires  cannot  now  spread 

sufficiently  to  do  much  damage. 

,1. 

—53— 


MOTHER  OF  THE  FOREST,  CALAVERAS  GROVE. 

Diameter  32   feet;  height   325   feet.     The   bark  was  re* 
moved  for  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1860. 


V- 


Habits  and  Characteristics. 


T 


'<^ 


HE  Big  Tree  is  an  ever-       ^ 
green,  and  is  the  largest 
and  scarcest  of  all  forest  trees. 
Its  foliage  is  very  short,  about 
one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  length, 
5  ovate-acuminate  in  form,  and 

^.  scale-like,  adhering  closely  to 

the  small  branchlets.  In  young 
trees  the  leaves  are  about  half 
^J  an  inch  in  length,  very  narrow  ^ 
and  sharp-pointed,  linear-Ian-  '^ 
ceolate,  lying  closely  to  the 
slender  twigs,  pointing  for- 
ward. 

In  young  trees,  during  their    :.,]^ 
^        first  two  or  three  centuries  of 

—57— 


%!ry 


r 


y 


life,  the  tapering  body  is  thick- 
ly covered  with  slender 
branches,  which  are  erect  and 
aspiring  above,  to  catch  the 
electric  ether  from  the  atmos- 
phere, which  is  one  of  their 
most  vital  sources  of  life ;  hori- 
zontal near  the  middle  of  the 
tree,  and  drooping  below,  from 
the  heavy  weight  of  winter 
snows  and  lack  of  nourish- 
ment. As  the  tree  enlarges  in 
size  the  lower  branches  die  and 
fall  away,  leaving  the  body  of 
the  tree  bare  for  one  hundred 
feet  or  more  up. 

The  tops  of  the  younger 
medium-sized  trees  develop  in- 
to a  graceful  dome  form  in  out- 

—58—     -. 


-A 


^ 


EMPIRE    STATE    TREE. 
Calaveras  Grove. 


line,  but  on  many  of  the  largest 
old  trees  the  top  branches  have 
been  broken  down  by  the  heavy 
weight  of  snow  in  winter  and 
great  wind  storms. 

Throughout  all  the  different 
groves,  the  Sequoias  seem  to 
have  naturally  arranged  them- 
selves into  family  groups  and 
social  clusters,  selecting  choice 
localities  where  the  soil  is  most 
suitable  and  well  supplied  with 
their  favorite  condition  of 
moisture,  of  which  they  require 
a  much  greater  quantity  than 
the  large  pine  and  other  forest 
trees.  Their  majestic,  grace- 
ful beauty  is  unequalled.  Since 
their  discovery  they  have  be- 


■# 


#' 


come  one  of  the  great  wonders 
of  the  world.  The  bright  cin- 
namon color  of  their  immense 
fluted  trunks,  in  strong  con- 
trast to  the  green  foliage  and 
dark  hues  of  the  surrounding 
forest,  makes  them  all  the  more 
conspicuous  and  impressive. 
In  their  sublime  presence  a 
person  is  apt  to  be  filled  with  a 
sense  of  awe  and  veneration, 
as  if  treading  on  hallowed 
groimd. 

In  the  growth  of  the  tree 
there  is  an  annual  inside  new 
thin  growth  of  bark  formed  in 
contact  with  the  new  outside 
annual  ring  growth  of  wood. 
The  parting  of  the  old  outside 

—62— 


^,,      bark  into  ridges  is  caused  by 
^      the  gradual  increase  in  the  size 
of  the  tree  inside  the  bark. 

The  color  of  the  bark  grad- 
ually changes  from  a  dark  pur- 
ple tint  to  a  cinnamon  color, 
and  becomes   corrugated  into 
I,  narrow    vertical     ridges.     On 

^  ^        full  grown  trees,  where  well 
sheltered  and  protected  from 
fierce  storms,  these  ridges  of 
bark  are  sometimes  found  two 
feet  in  thickness,  in  rare  in- 
J^^       stances  three  feet.     The  aver- 
^^-'?        age  thickness  is  probably  about 
y        fifteen  inches,  and,  where  open- 
/         ly  exposed  to  storms,  still  less. 


^ 


#. 


i 


—63— 


FOUR  GUARDSMEN,  MARIPOSA  GROVE. 


F 


:^       ^^^^^         ■^^'  ■      <^ 


Coxes  axd  Seeds. 


•T^HE  cones  or  fruit  of  the 
"*'  tree  average  about  the  size 
of  a  hen's  ^^%.  It  takes  two 
years  for  the  seeds  to  mature 
in  the  cones,  which  they  do 
late  in  the  fall,  although  the 
cones  do  not  dry  and  shrink 
so  as  to  shed  the  seeds  until 
the  third  season.  The  seeds 
are  of  a  light  golden  color,  --§ 
small  and  flat,  about  the  size 
and  shape  of  a  parsnip  seed. 

The  seeds  have  no  wing  ap- 
^^     pendage  like  those  of  the  pines  ; 

and  firs,  only  a  blank  margin         ^ 

-67-  .J 


^/ 


;^»^/  d 


VJ 


•4 


of  shell  on  each  side,  a  little 
wider  than  the  vital  germ  in 
the  center.  There  is  a  small 
amount  of  purple-colored  gum 
about  the  seeds  in  the  cone, 
which  falls  out  in  dust  with  the 
seeds  when  they  drop.  This 
gum  is  of  the  same  character 
as  that  which  exudes  from  the 
body  of  the  tree  where  it  has  j 
been  deeply  burned,  and  is  ^ 
readily  soluble  in  water. 

An  analysis  of  this  gum  at 
the  United  States  Department 
of     Agriculture,     Bureau     of         ? 
Chemistry,  gives  the  following 
result: 

Per  Cent 

Moisture  at  100° 12.79 

Wood  Scrap 81 

Tannin 34.63 

Nontannin 51 .  77 

—68— 


f 


riiotixintph    bij   Sueenfii. 

CONES  AND  FOLIAGE  OF   THE   BIG  TREES. 


fry'  ''-■'' 


Professor  H.  W.  Wiley, 
Chief  of  the  Bureau,  says; 
**The  material  possesses  none 
of  the  physical  nor  chemical 
properties  of  wood  gums ;  it  is 
optically  inactive,  non-cohesive 
and  contains  neither  glucosides 
nor  pentosans.  The  non-tan- 
nins are  chiefly  protocatechuic 
acid  with  smaller  amounts  of 
catechol,  gallic  acid,  etc.  The 
tannin  is  largely  a  catechol 
tannin,  although  some  gallo- 
tannic  acid  is  present.  The 
material  is  interesting,  not  on- 
ly in  containing  a  large  per- 
centage of  tannin,  but  also  be- 
cause it  contains  so  little  of 
the     insoluble     decomposition 


•71— 


y^' 


/ 


^^    products  of  catechol  tannin." 
1^         The  material  gave  3.60  per 
1^       <3ent.  of  ash  which  contained : 

Percent 

Calcium  oxid  (Cao) .11.22 

IMagnesium  oxid   (Mgo) 8.33 

Potassium  oxid  (K^O) 50.00 

Sodium  oxid   (NasO) 1.25 

''2  ^        Phosphoric  acid  (P.O5  ) Trac^ 

\ 

^  This  gum  is  not  inflamma- 

ble,   like    resinous    gums,    but 
strongly  resists  the  action  of 
,i^      fire.      Whether     in    its     fluid 
vp^j     state  in  the  body  of  the  tree  it 
'-^'1      aids   in  sustaining  the   tree's 
vitality     against     destructive 
elements,     is     not     certainly 
known,  but  probably  is  true. 
^^      It  undoubtedly  gives  the  red 

/■/'  -72- 


Kf  ^ 

HPgl^^^^^H 

^Bl  -^^^u^^ 

73 


1'^ 


color  to  the  wood  inside  of  the   ^ 
thin  white  sap  wood  next  to 
the  bark. 


U.'. 


/. 


>#^^ 


Young  Sequoias 


THEEE  are  but  very  few 
young  Sequoias  to  be  seen 
in  any  of  the  groves.  This  is 
not  the  fault  of  the  seeds.  The 
surface  of  the  ground  in  the 
groves  is  so  deeply  covered 
with  the  dry  fallen  matter 
from  the  trees,  and  dead  veg- 
etation, that  the  seeds  in  fall- 
ing very  seldom  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  bare  ground ;  but 
where  a  tree  has  been  recently 
uprooted,  or  where  fire  has 
burned  away  the  dry  covering, 
the  young  trees  spring  up  as 
thick  as  grain  in  a  field,  and 

—77— 


only  need  proper  protection 
for  some  of  them  to  continue 
to  grow. 

Groves  of  young  Sequoia 
trees  can  readily  be  started 
anywhere  on  suitable  moist 
ground  in  the  forests  of  Cali- 
fornia, at  an  elevation  of  less 
than  7,000  feet  above  sea  level, 
by  burning  off  the  dry  rubbish 
covering  the  ground  and  plant- 
ing good  seed. 

There  is  a  large  amount  of 
worthless  Big  Tree  seed  in  the 
market.  To  test  the  seeds  when 
buying,  break  some  of  them 
crosswise.  If  the  vital  germ 
in  the  center  is  white,  the  seed 
is  good;  if  brown,  it  is  worth- 
less. 

—78— 


PhotO(jru})}i    1)11   liiijism.  79 

YOUNG  SEQUOIA,  MAltlPuSA  GROVE. 
Base  diameter,  17   feet.     Age  about  1000  years. 


Celebrated  Specimens. 


A  MONG  all  the  largest  Se- 
^**'  quoia  trees  known  in  Cal- 
ifornia, the  trees  named  Gen- 
^eral  Grant  in  the  General 
Grant  National  Park,  the  Gen- 
eral Sherman  in  the  Sequoia 
National  Park,  and  the  Grizzly 
Giant  in  the  Mariposa  Grove, 
are  perhaps  the  most  notedly 
distinguished,  although  there 
are  many  others  which  are 
very  close  rivals. 

In  the  General  Grant  Na- 
tional Park,  the  tree  named 
General  Grant  is  said  to  have 

—81— 


a  base  diameter  of  forty  feet. 
It  is  enclosed  with  a  picket 
fence,  and  no  one  is  allowed 
inside  the  fence  to  take  meas- 
urements. It  is  claimed  by 
some  persons  to  be  the  largest 
tree  in  the  State,  but  a  few 
feet  above  its  wide-spreading 
base  near  the  ground,  the  main 
body  of  the  tree  does  not  ap- 
pear to  be  any  larger  than 
some  others  in  the  near  vi- 
cinity. 

The  tree  named  General 
Sherman  in  the  Sequoia  Na- 
tional Park  has  a  base  circum- 
ference near  the  ground  of  one 
hundred  and  two  feet.  Five 
^       feet  above,  it  measures  eighty- 

—82— 


Photograph    hy  Boysm. 

WAWONA  TREE,  MARIPOSA  GROVE. 

Diameter,  28  feet;    height,  260  feet;    measured  by  Hon. 

B.   M.   Leitch,   Guardian    of   the   Grove. 


-^ 


four  and  one-half  feet.  Fif- 
teen feet  above,  its  circumfer- 
ence is  seventy-two  and  one- 
half  feet.  Its  height  is  two 
hundred  and  eighty-five  feet. 
The  body  of  the  tree  tapers 
but  very  little  for  one  hun- 
dred feet  or  more  up.  Its 
elevation  above  sea  level,  as 
reported  by  the  United  States 
Oeological  Survey,  is  6,852 
feet.  It  is  a  splendid  tree,  and 
probably  contains  more  solid 
cubic  feet  of  wood  than  any 
other  known  tree  in  California. 

The  Grizzly  Giant  is  the 
acknowledged  patriarch  of  the 
Mariposa  Grove  of  Sequoias. 
It  is  not  so  tall  and  graceful 


>r 


m. 


^ii^,. 


If^ 


in  general  outline,  nor  is  it& 
cubical  contents  as  great  as 
some  other  trees  in  the  grove. 
It  is  located  on  more  comiDara- 
tively  open  and  dry  ground, 
and  has  a  unique  individuality 
of  majestic  grandeur  all  its 
own,  different  from  any  other 
known  Sequoia.  It  has  been 
very  badly  injured  by  fires 
during  unknown  past  centuries, 
leaving  only  four  narrow 
strips  of  sapwood  conecting^ 
with  its  roots.  Many  of  its 
top  branches  have  been  broken 
down  by  the  weight  of  heavy 
winter  snows  and  fierce  gales 
of  wind.  One  of  its  large 
branches,    one    hundred    feet 

—86— 


rhotoijruph    fill    Fisir 

GRIZZLY  GIANT,  MARIPOSA  GROVE. 
Circumference  at  base,  104  feet. 


.^^   ^^#; 


wy 


above  the  ground,  is  six  feet 
and  seven  inches  in  diameter, 
as  measured  by  surveyor's 
transit.  Its  present  base  cir- 
cumference is  ninety-three  feet 
without  making  any  allowance 
for  the  large  part  burned  away, 
which  if  done  would  increase  it 
to  over  one  hundred  feet. 

As  a  result  of  the  great  in- 
juries it  has  sustained  from 
the  destructive  elements  and 
lack  of  moisture  in  the  ground 
during  the  past  few  centuries, 
the  wood  growth  has  been  very 
slow,  the  annual  ring  increase 
being  as  thin  as  wrapping  pa- 
per, too  fine  to  be  counted  with 
the  unaided  eve.     The  inside 


Mc 


1 


« 


growth,  of  bark  has  been  equal- 
ly slow,  and  has  not  been  equal 
to  the  wear  and  disintegration 

^^1      on  the  outside  by  the  elements. 

"[^^ ^      The   bark   is   now  worn  down 

smooth    and    very    thin,    and 

probably  the  tree  does  not  now 

1^'         measure  as  much  in  circumf  er- 

f  ence  as  it  did  several  centuries 

«jp  ago.     According    to    the    best 

estimates  made  by  the  examin- 
ation of  the  annual  ring 
x^  growths  in  some  of  the  re- 
mains of  old  fallen  Sequoias, 
the  Grizzly  Giant  must  be  not 
less  than  six  thousand  years 
old,  yet  still  living,  grizzled 
with  age,  defying  old  Time 
with  his  legions  of  furies  which 

—90— 


have  shattered  its  royal  crown, 
stripped  its  body  nearly  bare, 
and  cut  off  its  main  source  of 
nutriment.  Dying  for  centu- 
ries, yet  still  standing  at  bay, 
it  is  probably  not  only  the  old- 
est living  tree,  but  also  the 
oldest  living  thing  on  earth. 


.^ 


—91— 


=<^iw.'.;     rtj^t'?*" 


;-*!  ^^'ij^^(^ 


A   SOLITAEY    SURVIVOK. 


nPHE  Big  Tree  named  Boole^ 
left  standing  in  the  Sanger 
Lumber  Company's  logging- 
camp,  is  a  close  rival  in  size 
to  any  other  of  the  largest 
trees  in  California.  It  has  a 
base  circumference  of  a  little 
over  one  hundred  feet.  But 
since  its  strong  bodyguard  of 
surrounding  forest  trees,  which 
have  protected  it  from  its  in- 
fancy, have  all  been  slaughter- 
ed for  the  saw  mills,  and  it  is 
left  standing  alone,  its  own 
colossal  size  becomes  its  great- 

—95— 


4r 


^v^o1f;^■ 


^^>   ^^^^-m^ 


est  weakness,  and  it  must  soon 
succumb  to  the  tempests  which 
occasionally  sweep  through 
the  mountain  forests. 


^-^- 


-96— 


J'hotofjraph   htf  Sweeney .  91 

THE    BOOLE    TREE,    KINGS    RIVER    GROVE. 

Sang-er  Lumber  Company's  Camp. 

Circumference  at  base,  106  feet. 


:^^ 


Other  Celebeated  Trees. 


TTHEEE  are  two  trees  in  the 
*■•  Mariposa  Grove  which 
have  driveways  cut  through 
them,  one  being  known  as  the 
Wawona  Tree,  twenty-eight 
feet  in  diameter,  and  the  other 
as  the  California,  twenty-one 
feet  in  diameter.  These  trees 
had  been  burned  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  widening  out  the 
passage  for  stages  did  not  in- 
jure the  roots  or  vitality,  and 
cannot  properly  be  termed  an 
act  of  spoliation  or  vandalism. 
A  ride  through  these  trees  in  a 

—99— 


M 


six-horse  stage,  or  any  convey- 
ance, is  a  great  novelty  and 
should  not  be  missed. 

There  is  also  a  carriage  road 
cut  through  the  Dead  Giant  in 
the  Tuolumne  Grove,  and 
through  the  tree  Pioneer  in  the 
Calaveras  Grove. 


i 


—100— 


Botanical  Nomenclature. 


i: 


T^HE  selection  of  a  correct 
"■•  botanical  name  for  the  Big 
Trees  has  been  a  subject  of 
much  controversy  among  the 
best  authorities,  and  still  re- 
mains an  open  question.  Since 
first  discovered  the  species  has 
received  several  different 
names  from  eminent  botanists, 
the  .most  noted  ones  being  the 
following : 

Wellingtonia  Gigantea  -  -  Lindley,  1853 
Sequoia  Gigantea  -  -  -  Decaisne,  1854 
Taxodium  Washingtonianum— 

Winslow,  1854 
Sequoia  Wellingtonia  -  -  Seaman,  1855 
Sequoia  Washingtoniana— 

Winslow  and  Sudworth, 


■103— 


vi 


^^^ 


A  large  majority  of  botan- 
ists now  agree  upon  the  name 
Sequoia  Washingtoniana  as 
being  the  correct  one. 

A  near  relative  of  the  Se- 
quoia Washingtoniana  is  the 
Sequoia  Sempervirens,  the 
Kedwood  of  the  Coast  Eange 
of  mountains.  This  tree  flour- 
ishes best  in  the  moist  atmos- 
phere and  fogs  from  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  while  the  Sequoia 
Washingtoniana  prefers  the 
pure  exhilerating  atmosphere 
of  the  high  Sierras.  The  name 
Sequoia  is  supposed  to  be  de- 
rived from  Sequoia  (or  Se- 
quoyah), a  Cherokee  Indian 
of  mixed  blood,  who  invented 
an  alphabet  and  written  lan- 
guage for  his  tribe. 

—104— 


1 


"1 


(g?. 


i'V 


1'   .''i!'''',5(«,',;;iu;iT.  111";. 


